The Shadows
by fairytailphoenixpriestess
Summary: Lucy starts having weird nightmares. Then the next day on a mission something goes horribly wrong. Can Natsu save Lucy from this nightmare? , or will all of Fairy Tail be doomed to stay in the shadows forever. Lots of cute Nalu moments and stuff! Rated T


**Hi Everyone! I can't thank you enough for all the positive feedback so far! I will try my hardest on this next story and I hope you enjoy it! **

**Review of Reviews:( from my last story Another Nalu and I am aware that the owner of the reviews probably wont see my response )**

**M.L. Groves: **

** Thank you so much! I'm so happy you liked it! I do apologize if those whole parts were unclear and I will be sure to do better next time! Your constructive criticism helped me so much and I could never thank you enough!**

**Guest: **

** Thank you! I am sorry it took me so long to release this chapter.**

**Conflicting Chaos:**

** Thanks you for taking to time to read my story I really appreciated it! **

**IMPORTANT: This is all after the Eclipes Project in the animation siries, I would've done after Tartoros too, but I know alot of people don't read the manga ( and if you don't that's totaly ok!) If you are not completely caught up in the animated series its not that big of a deal, but there are mentions of characters and things that happen between the first episode and the current ones. so SPOILER ALERT.**

**DISCLAIMER: I ****do not**** own Fairy Tail or its characters... sadly**

Shadows

Chapter 1: Nightmares

It was dark and cold. Her hands were tied behind her back and her muscles ached. She mustered up all her might to try to get up but the pain was too much to bear and she fell back onto the freezing floor.

_ Where is everyone... _Thought the girl. Then all of a sudden a door opened up on the right side of the room. Slowly, the girl moved her head and looked up to see a dark shadow in the doorway. She was terrified and scared. The shadow felt like fear itself. After that was pure darkness. All her thoughts were gone and she felt like an empty shell. Then she heard a faint voice.

_Lucy..._

She recognized the name. _Lucy... Lucy...Lucy..._She thought and thought about that name."Lucy!" she said aloud. " My name is Lucy" Right when Lucy spoke her name , a bright light came from nowhere. It seemed warm and sweet. She just wanted to jump right into it and never come out. Lucy thought _This warmth, this feeling, it's so familiar...it's like that voice... I can't quite remember. _Slowly, bit by bit, it came to her. _N...Na...Natsu...Nastu!_ Lucy remembered her companion's name. _How could she forget something so important?_ She mentally slapped herself as she slowly but surely managed to open her eyes.

What she saw made her want to close them again, but she kept them open and checked her surroundings. The sky was dark and erie with the clouds tainted blue and the moon was a deep crimson red. Lucy was no longer tied up, but her muscles still ached. There was rubble and deb-re everywhere she looked. Lucy knew that she didn't have a choice but to get up. With the help of a broken wall that was next to her she made her way over a pile of stone bricks and ashes. Lucy stumbled and fell on top of the pile. While attempting to get back up something caught her eye. Her vision was still a little blurry.

_What is that?..._She thought. _Its.. pink..no..no it can't be! _ Lucy rushed over to the owner of the pink hair and her fears turned to be true. It was Nastu. Her nakama was just lying there lifelessly. Lucy knelt down and gently placed two fingers on his wrist. _Good he still has a pulse. _ Then he stirred, and opened his eyes that slowly fell upon Lucy .

" Lucy.." said Natsu with a faint voice.

"Shh Nastu its gonna be okay, everything will be okay." Lucy said on the verge of tears as she was pulling him up. He put his arm over her and as did she and they relied on each other for support. As they were about to move a horrid voice stopped them in their tracks. It was cold and rough. The voice sounded like death. Then a strong force pulled them to the ground.

_Gravity Magic? _Lucy thought

"L..Lu...Lucy.. ..you ok?" Stuttered Nastu. She could tell he was in a lot of pain.

" Yea.. I'm ok." She looked up and saw a shadow of a man. Lucy immediately recognized it, and so apparently did Nastu because he swiftly pushed Lucy back behind him.

" Give me the girl." said a deathly voice. It belonged to the shadow man and he slowly took a step forward.

"No!" yelled Nastu. his voice was horse and weak, but he still managed to shout.

"No?, you dare defy me, even after all that's happened?" The shadow man took another step closer. " Just give up now and I may let you live."

"I ...will never give up." said Nastu as he attempted to stand. "I will never give up in this world!... As long as I'm still breathing, as long as I'm still standing... I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!" Right then and there Nastu's whole body lit on fire. And it wasn't just any fire, this fire was different. It was like he ate the Etherion again.

"Nastu..." said Lucy in a worried tone. A strange and horrible presence came from that man, he didn't even flinch when Nastu activated his dragon force.

"Well I guess I have no other choice then." The shadow man seemed somewhat amused when he said that, and he slowly raised his left arm. A dark ball of magical energy formed. It was a deep shade of black. It was like nothing Lucy had even seen before. Right as Nastu was about the charge the man, the fire on his body lit out.

"What the.." Nastu said shocked. " You bastard!"

"My magic drains the victims magic and adds it to mine" said the shadow man. As soon as he said that the dark ball of his magic started to glow an orange-ish red.

"Nastu your flames!" yelled Lucy

"Your time is up, Nastu Dragneel" said the shadow man and he drew his arm back and shot the ball of magic energy straight at Nastu's heart. Everything else was in slow motion. time seemed to stop for Lucy as the magical energy hit Nastu's chest. He fell to the ground in front of Lucy and his whole body went limp.

" N..Nat..Natsu?" Lucy said as she was trembling. He didn't move a muscle or make any signs of life. "Natsu! Wake up!" She was now shaking him and trying to get him to open his eyes.

"NASTU!"

"NASTU!" Lucy screamed as she jolted up from her bed.

_Wait... It was just a dream? _Lucy thought as she pulled away her covers as stood up. She walked over to her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She was sweating so much that her hair stuck to her face and back. Lucy hoped in the shower and then afterwards dried herself. She got dressed and made her outside the apartment.

" Lucy be careful not to fall off." said the men on a boat as Lucy was walking on the edge of the river.

"Ok thanks!" said Lucy as she gave them one of her sweet smiles. She looked back down at her feet and thought about her nightmare. It was this fist time anything like this has ever happened. She 'd never been so scared in her life. The feeling of terror overwhelmed her during that time.

After thinking about this for a while she found herself in front of her guild. She looked up at the emblem, smiled, then thought. _It's ok, I have Fairy Tail, none of that was real. _A loud explosion interrupted her thoughts and a certain dragon slayer and ice make mage come rolling out of the front doors. Getting in his fighting stance Nastu said.

" Come at me ice freak!"

Gray replied " What did you say hot head?"

" You heard me!"

"Bring it on flame brain!"

Just as Nastu and Gray were about to fight the sky turned dark and dark presence emerged from the depths of Fairy Tail. It was a certain terrifying re-quip mage, but that wasn't the worst part. Lucy looks down to find the mage holding a small plate with a perfect little piece of strawberry shortcake. Well almost perfect, except for the fact that a small peice of the guild's door was sticking out of it.

"Erza!" said Gray and Nastu in unison as they slowly backed away from the shredded door. Before they could get away Erza grabbed both of there collars and pulled them up.

"YOU RUINED IT!" Shouted Erza as she kicked them so far they looked like stars in the sky. Lucy giggled at the scene that played out before her. _They never learn do they_ she thought.

Lucy walked over to usual spot on the bar. Mirajane came over with a glass of water a set it in front of Lucy.

"Hi Lucy!" said Mirajane. She noticed that Lucy had bags under her eyes as she rested her head on the counter.

"Hey Mirajane." Lucy mumbled into the counter.

"Did something happen Lucy? Are you tired?" Questioned Mirajane.

" No I'm fine, I just didn't get any sleep last night." Lucy shivered at the thought. Mirajane noticed her reaction and dropped the subject and when on with her daily routines.

Lucy later talked to Levy about a new book that came out and also to Juvia about her supposedly being Juvia's love rival.

It had been a long day and Lucy needed to come home. She usually never stayed this late, but she didn't want to go home with the fear of her hellish nightmare returning. Lucy also didn't want to worry her friends with just a nightmare so she left and started her way home. As she was walking she thought about her day. _I wonder where Nastu went... Erza did kick him and Gray far though... _She shook off the thought of this morning incident. Before she knew it she was at her front door. Lucy unlocked the door and stepped inside to find something familiar.

It was Natsu and Happy fast asleep on her bed.

" NASTU!" she yelled then suddenly freezing. Shouting his name like that reminded her of this morning. Her eye grew wide and she started to shake as she fell to her knees. _Come on Lucy It's just a dream, It's just a dream _she thought. The more she thought about it the more it would calm her down but she still couldn't get the sight of her best friend dying out of her head. Lucy stared at the ground between her knees seeing teardrops fall. She was trying so hard to keep it in. She didn't want her friends to share to burden of knowing of this horror.

Nastu shifted from facing her window to facing her. Sensing another presence in the room he slowly opened his eyes. As he rubbed them to make his vision more clear his eyes caught the blonde on her knees in the middle of the room.

"Lucy?" he questioned as he sat up.

" Oh, hey Nastu" Lucy sniffled. She tried to get up but then started to fall over. Nastu rushed to her side and caught her bringing them both to their knees. Nastu pulled away from her.

"Lucy what's wrong? Did someone hurt you? Why are you crying?" Said Natsu as over a million questions ran through his head. The temperature in the room raised slightly signaling Nastu getting angry. Before he could go on a rampage Lucy said,

" No, I'm ok." Said Lucy, not wanting to worry him any further. Nastu noticed that she avoided his eyes, so he knew she was lying.

" Lucy whats going on?" Said Nastu with a very serious tone. Lucy knew she could get past him. The tears came back as she looked up at Nastu's face. It pained her because she was reminded of his dead body lying on the ground. Nastu saw her expression and put his forehead against hers.

"Nastu..I..I.." She couldn't find the right words.

"Shh Its okay I'm here." Said Nastu as he smiled at her. "I'll protect you." He pulled her into a hug and they sat there. This is one of the parts Lucy loved about him, he was so caring and he always stood by her no matter what happened. After a minute or two her crying stopped. Another couple minutes later Nastu noticed Lucy had fallen asleep in his arms. He thought _She must be really tired, I wonder why she was so upset. _At the end of his thoughts he slowly moved to the side of Lucy, not letting her go, he picked her bridal style.

Nastu turned to face Lucy's bed and saw the exceed still fast asleep. _Haha I knew was a heavy sleeper but wow. _He gently set her on top of her sheets and pulled one of the blankets over her. She stirred as he fully let go of her. Nastu sat on the edge of her bed keeping a close eye on her. _Gosh shes so beautiful. _thought Nastu as he gently pushed her hair out of her face. Without thinking he pressed his lips on her forehead. He to eventually fell asleep next to his best friends and the night went on.

Little did they know that, that would be there last peaceful night for a long long time.

**Ok well that was the first chapter I hoped you enjoyed it and I'll get the next one up as soon as I can! I did see that the story was getting really serious so I tried adding in the moment with Erza and the fun little Nalu moment at the end .3 Any comment or crisicism is much aprciated :)! Stay awesome and I'll update soon!  
**

**P.S. - Sorry for any grammar mistakes**


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